Guadalupe Shelter holds annual ‘non-event’

Enita Kearns-Hout likes to refer to the Guadalupe Shelter’s annual “non-event” fundraiser as the best event you never went to with the best music you never heard.

Kearns-Hout, who is the regional director for Catholic Charities, said the generosity of the Greeley-area community continues to amaze her, especially when people are promised nothing but still drop a check in the mail.

“Last year we raised more than $80,000,” Kearns-Hout said. “It’s exciting to see how this has grown in just our second year. People said it would take us 10 years to get here. I’m so happy to see where we are now.”

The fundraiser, officially called the “2014 Thanksgiving Non-Event Charity Ball,” is simply a call for donations to help operate the Guadalupe Shelter on north 11th Avenue, which needs nearly $650,000 each year to help hundreds of families and individuals get back on their feet.

There is no real scheduled event, just the idea of giving.

“We like to tell people they can celebrate with us in the comfort of their own home,” Kearns-Hout said with a laugh.

Kearns-Hout said about 3,400 “invitations” went out this year to people who have donated to Catholic Charities in the past, and the donations just keep coming in.

As of Wednesday, the organization had collected more than $120,000 just in corporate sponsorships, compared to the $64,000 from last year’s event.

“This really does change people’s lives,” she said. “Having them stay here and go to life skills classes and get the other training they need to be self-sufficient.”

The Guadalupe Shelter provides shelter, meals and other support items for up to 500 families and individuals a year. Residents must meet certain criteria, such as pass alcohol and drug tests each night before being admitted, share in the responsibility of upkeep of the center and follow the rules set by the shelter staff. They are usually only allowed to stay at the shelter for a maximum of four months, but Kearns-Hout said the lack of affordable housing has many staying beyond the allotted time.

“They are doing every thing we’ve asked,” she said. “We can’t just kick them out and say, ‘Now you have to find housing when there is none out there, and the waiting list for subsidized housing is too long. We don’t want this to be a revolving door. We want them to come back as a volunteer because they are doing better not because they are in need of help again.”